The present invention relates to a tire recapping shop; it relates more precisely to an improved shop for performing recapping in a non-industrial zone, for example in developing countries. This shop may be used by a single operator; he uses simple, robust machines, and consequently the manufacturing, maintenance and use costs of such a simplified shop are particularly low.
The process implemented in the invention is of the type comprising stations for detreading the used tires, for scraping the carcass, for laying the new tread, or rolling it on to the carcass, and a vulcanization autoclave for the tires which have been provided with their new tread.
Generally, the transfers of tires between these different stations on one hand, then into the autoclave and out of it on the other hand, as well as the various intermediate storage operations, are effected by conveyors of greater or lesser bulk and complexity. An example of this type of installation is described in European Patent 086 766.
The present invention is directed precisely at simplifying the conveyors used hitherto.
According to the invention, a recapping shop comprising a certain number of work stations for preparing the tires to be recapped, an autoclave having a horizontal axis for vulcanizing the new treads, first means for transferring the tires between the various stations and for storing them and second means for transferring the tires into the autoclave, out of it and for storing them, is characterized in that the first and second transfer means comprise a common transfer and storage structure.
Preferably, the first transfer means comprise a first endless loop of a monorail transporter and a crane, the boom of which makes it possible to reach all the work stations arranged in a circle around the crane and the second transfer means comprise a second endless loop, a branch of said monorail transporter and the crane, said branch entering into the autoclave, the common transfer and storage structure being formed of a branch common to the two endless loops of said monorail transporter and said crane.
Advantageously, the two endless loops have an elongated form to facilitate intermediate storage of tires in batches. The foot of the crane is preferably mounted inside the second endless loop of the monorail transporter.